A PUBLIC inquiry over the county council’s purchase of land for the new Accrington bus station will get underway next week.

The four-day hearing will be chaired by a government planning inspector and comes after up to seven objections were lodged by local businesses.

Compulsory purchase orders (CPOs) have been served on landowners around the Crawshaw Street site to make way for the new depot.

The new bus station is part of a £40 million Pennine Reach scheme to improve transport links between Hyndburn and Blackburn.

Hyndburn Council deputy leader Joan Smith said the new bus station could be abandoned if the planning inspector upholds the appeal.

She said: “It could potentially put a stop to it if the planning inspectorate upholds the objections.

“The objections have come from some of the buildings around there and they are objecting to the CPOs.

“We would hope that everything goes okay with the inspectorate and that we are given permission to build the bus station. We really need an up-to-date bus station.

“We don’t really have a bus station at the moment, just a collection of bus stops.”

The public inquiry will be held at Accrington Town Hall and start on Tuesday, June 17 at 10am.

If it gets the go ahead the new bus station would be built the former Kwik Save car park on Crawshaw Street and the current Peel Street bus station would close.

A spokesperson for the department for communities and local government planning inspectorate said: “There have been objections to the acquisition to the land for the new bus station which is why we are having this hearing.

“There are plans to build a new bus station but to do that CPOs are needed for the land.

“It is therefore necessary to have this inquiry Once a recommendation is made to the Secretary of State it will be up to them to make a decision.”

Chris Anslow, public transport development manager, said: “The county council has to make a compulsory purchase order for land which will be used for the new Accrington Bus Station.

“There are some issues that need resolving, so there will be an inquiry next week where a government inspector will hear details relating to the compulsory purchase order.

“The inspector will then produce a report for the secretary of state.

“This will recommend whether the compulsory purchase order should be confirmed or not.”